Abstract

Asthma is a global problem, its prevalence varies among different countries and cities and age groups. In children, asthma is one of the most common chronic diseases and one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality.Bronchial asthma is the most common chronic disease of childhood. In recent years a consistent increase in the prevalence of asthma has been reported from various regions of the world. Concomitantly, the social and economic impact of the disease is also increasing. Children with asthma face multiple challenges that encompass learning how to cope with. Bronchial asthma (BA) is a public health problem in all countries irrespective of their level of development, being generally under-diagnosed and undertreated, and most asthma-related death commonly occurs in low-income and lower-middle income countries .As for Saudi Arabia, it is estimated that more than 2 million Saudis have asthma and the percentages range from 8% to 25% in Saudi children. In 2004, the highest prevalence of asthma was reported by physicians in Saudi Arabia (25%).
Aim of the study:To Assessment of knowledge of asthma and related symptoms in school-age children attending the primary health clinic inMakah city in Saudi Arabia 2019.
Method:A cross-sectional study was conducted attending the primary health care centers in Makkah, Saudi Arabia. An asthma knowledge questionnaire was used to measure the knowledge. During the March to June, 2019, participants were (80).
Results:General knowledge about asthma the majority of participant had average information were (43.75%) while weak Knowledgewere (12.25%) the data ranged from (4-15) by (Mean± SD) (12.113±4.12), while Knowledge about associated aspects of asthma the majority of participant had average information were (67.5%) while weak Knowledgewere (12.25%) the data ranged from (5-10.) (Mean± SD), (6.387±2.75).
Conclusion: In conclusion, the screening methodology adopted in this study could be applied for all children at the beginning of the school year, being simple and noninvasive measure. The prevalence of asthma in school children in is greater than that reported from most developing countries and closer to the rates reported indeveloped countries. Avoidance of pet's ownership at home, improving social class and premarital counseling for atopic persons are all recommended